The Schmooze lies at the intersection of high and low culture. Here, the latest developments and trends in Jewish art, books, dance, film, music, media, television and theater are all assimilated into one handy pop culture blog.
The Schmooze
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Bar Refaeli Plans Wedding for September
(JTA) — Time is running out for all of those who dream of dating Bar Refaeli – because the Israeli supermodel is officially getting married in September. EOnline reports that Refaeli, 30, and her fiancé, Israeli businessman Adi Ezra, 40, are set to tie the knot around the second week of September, right after the Jewish…
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Jon Stewart Lets His People Laugh
(JTA) — For years, it has been written about and on Thursday night it was sealed: Jon Stewart is proud to be Jewish. With just two weeks left before he leaves “The Daily Show” after a 16-year run as host — and well ahead of the High Holidays — he appears to be tying up…
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Two Amy Winehouse Art Exhibitions To Open in San Francisco
(JTA)—The late Jewish singer Amy Winehouse, a documentary film about whom is currently in theaters nationwide, is also the subject of two art exhibitions at the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco. The first, entitled “Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait,” which was shown first at the Jewish Museum London, will make its United States debut…
The Latest
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Remembering E.L. Doctorow, ‘Ragtime’ Literary Lion
E.L. Doctorow, who died on July 21 at age 84, was among the literary lions I chatted with at the 1975 American Booksellers Association Convention at the New York Hilton — at which my husband Joe and I were publisher-exhibitors. It was the year Random House published his mega-hit novel “Ragtime.” Decades later, at the April…
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Diners, Iran and Jews, with Chuck Schumer
When MSNBC’s Steve Kornaki chose the venue to meet Senator Chuck Schumer for a low down on the Iran deal, he had no idea what he were in for. At first, it seemed like a good idea. As Jon Stewart pointed out on Wednesday night’s ‘Daily Show’ : “You get the Schumes early in the…
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Seth Rogen is Throwing James Franco a Bar Mitzvah
You’re all invited to James Franco’s bar mitvah, courtesy of Seth Rogen and wife Lauren Miller Rogen. The ceremony will take place during Hilarity for Charity’s Variety show at the Hollywood Palladium on October 17. “Ever since I’ve known James, he’s been talking about wanting a bar mitzvah,” Rogen . “We’re excited to see him…
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Amy Schumer’s Childhood Rabbi Enjoyed ‘Trainwreck’
Before she was America’s favorite comedian, Amy Schumer was just a nice(ish) Jewish girl from Long Island. Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin remembers that Amy, whom he knew when she was just a preteen in religious school. Salkin was Schumer’s rabbi at Central Synagogue of Nassau County in Rockville Centre, New York where he worked from 1988…
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Remembering My Friend, Theo Bikel
Theodore Bikel, actor, activist, Yiddishist, and multi-lingual folksinger — who died on July 21 at 91 — has had a “home” in my piano bench since the 1960s where his well-thumbed “Folksongs and Footnotes” tome rests, as do his vintage recordings on my shelves. I first met Bikel on March 5, 1978 when he was the guest…
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Why Donald Trump Is a ‘Jewish Holiday Waiting to Happen’
A lot happened while Jon Stewart was on vacation. Greece made a deal with the European Union, the Iran negotiations gave us a much-talked about deal, and Donald Trump, well, was Donald Trump. And there’s nothing Jon Stewart does better than a Trump takedown. The comedian, who only has three weeks left as host of…
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Why Judd Apatow is ‘Proud of the Jews’
When he wasn’t busy Bill Cosby, Judd Apatow made some amusing (if standard) jokes aimed at the Tribe during a stand-up performance on Monday night’s “Tonight Show.” “I’m very proud of the Jews,” the 47-year-old “Trainwreck” director said. “It feels like we’re not getting into that much trouble these days. In the world, we’re doing…
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Tel Aviv Scientists Find That Pot Heals Your Bones
Broke your arm? Time to smoke some dope. According to researchers at Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University, marijuana can help heal bone fractures. Their results were published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. “The clinical potential of cannabinoid-related compounds is simply undeniable at this point… it is possible to detach a clinical…
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